As far as the audience were concerned, all they had seen was Claudia crying and running away.
Out of nowhere, Arcus’s opponent had rushed back into the school building. For a while, he could do little but stare after her, until Sue took a step away from him.
She thrust a finger in his direction and sighed. “I can’t believe you’d make a girl cry, Arcus!”
“I— What?! How was it my fault?!”
“Lady Claudia wouldn’t have run off crying like that if you hadn’t won!”
“Are you saying I should’ve lost?”
“Of course not! No way would I ever let you end up as one of her lackeys!”
“Which one is it, then?!” Arcus wailed.
“Anyway, I told you it’d be easy, right?”
“You think that was easy? It was way too close!”
“You sure about that?”
“I won ’cause I was lucky.”
“Lucky? Wasn’t it all that strategizing of yours?”
“I mean, sure, I went in with a plan, but the whole thing was a massive long shot.”
Kane approached the pair. “I never thought you’d be able to beat her.”
“Yeah... One slipup, and she’d have had me, though.”
“I can see why you got that Order. Though I’m guessing you’ve got way more up your sleeve than what you’ve shown here today.”
“I did pretty well considering my aether situation, right?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean you’ve got it easy. You should know that better than anyone.”
“I’m used to dealing with my handicap, but I still get jealous of magicians who’ve got aether for days...especially after going through all that.” Arcus gave a heavy sigh.
He had been lucky that Claudia’s final spell did nothing to defend against noise. Though it was a weakness common to all barrier magic, she could very easily have resorted to an incantation that could at least muffle any sonic effects. Naturally, he’d been caught in his spell’s area of effect along with her. His earplugs had protected his eardrums, but the vibrations had racked his entire body and left him unsteady on his feet. Thanks to the spell he’d cast to regain his bearings, he’d already recovered. Ordinarily, he would have made use of tempered aether to launch the spell from farther away, but he didn’t want to risk drawing suspicion as he had in the fencing hall, resorting instead to breaking the bubbles with a piece of loose change.
Arcus was way more exhausted than he had expected. It was just another disadvantage of his paltry aether pool. He could go in with all the intricate strategies he liked, but a single mistake could easily have him cornered. And yet, there was no way he could have lost this fight. It would have been taken as proof that low aether made for a weak magician. Life just wasn’t fair.
He allowed himself another sigh of relief.
“Arcus!” Sue cried suddenly. “What about that Saifice magic?! You worked it out, right? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me right now!”
“I dunno if that’s a good idea. If the workings of their magic get out, the Saifice family is gonna hold a grudge against me, and that’s the last thing I need. I don’t really want an assassin paying me a visit in the middle of the night, thanks.”
“C’mon! It’s Lady Claudia’s fault for letting you figure it out!”
“I doubt that’s gonna make it any better. Nobles aren’t exactly the most reasonable people in the world. Trust me, I know.”
Once he had picked up on the secret behind Claudia’s magic, he’d realized it wasn’t all that complicated. The quickest way to figure out a spell was to analyze its incantation. But Claudia hadn’t needed to pick apart Arcus’s diction to use Suppress, so it couldn’t have targeted the opponent’s magic directly. Once Arcus had realized that the spell was linked to Claudia’s innate abilities, it hadn’t taken long for him to see it for what it was. All it required was a little video game logic—although it was naturally a much more serious matter than a game. Now that he’d picked it apart, he’d unraveled the secrets of the royal family’s magic as well. It had elated him to be able to counter Claudia’s spell, but she wasn’t the only one who might seek revenge if he let slip about the details.
The gathered crowd eyed him curiously. Some of their gazes even seemed to pity him. Some were glaring, as though they’d tracked down a fitting quarry. Among them appeared an older man with a fine physique. His face had been wrinkled by time, and a white beard sprouted from his chin. The hair on his head, too, was snow white. Beneath his robe, he wore traditional noble dress.
It was the headmaster, Egberd Saifice—Claudia’s grandfather. He approached Arcus with a steady step that belied his age.
“Sue! Help! Help, what do I— Where did she go?!”
His friend seemed to have disappeared in a puff of smoke. He found himself doubting whether she had even been there in the first place. Left with no one to assist him, Arcus took to one knee when Egberd stopped in front of him.
“What is your name, young man?” a slightly hoarse voice asked from above him.
“Arcus Raytheft, Your Grace,” he stuttered.
“Ah, so it is you... I see.” Egberd left a pregnant pause before continuing gently. “Do your best.”
“Huh?”
“Mm? Were you expecting some form of rebuke?”
“No... No, sir, it’s just...”
“You shan’t be expelled from the Institute. I would pay such worries no further mind.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Claudia is a stubborn girl, and a hard worker. I would keep your guard up around her.”
“Yes... Yes, sir.”
“Now, about the Saifice magic...”
“I shan’t tell a single soul.”
“Very good.” With that, Egberd turned on his heel and left. The whole thing had been far less stressful than Arcus had anticipated. He had expected there to be conditions, or that he might find himself involved in something beyond ridiculous, but it seemed he would be spared. He stayed on his knee for a while, dazed, until Egberd’s words returned to him.
“Claudia is a stubborn girl, and a hard worker.”
“Talk about a deadly combination.” He had to grimace.